Tag Archives: China

     In view of the cold weather, the Home Affairs Department has opened 18 temporary cold shelters in various districts today (March 1) for people in need of the service. The temporary shelters will remain open when the Cold Weather Warning is in force.

     Clean mattresses and blankets/quilts, hot meals and hot water will be provided to shelter users free of charge during the opening of temporary shelters.

     To ensure that cold shelter users can rest in a quiet and undisturbed environment, members of the public or agencies wishing to make donations to shelter users are requested to register with the staff of the shelter first. Donors will then be directed to place the donated items at a specified indoor location. The staff will help notify the shelter users to collect the items on their own.

     Anyone seeking temporary refuge or with any questions about the donation arrangements at the cold shelters may call the department’s hotline 2572 8427 for more information.

     The 18 temporary cold shelters are located at:

Hong Kong Island:
——————–

Central and Western:
Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall
3/F, Sai Ying Pun Community Complex,
2 High Street, Sai Ying Pun

Eastern:
Causeway Bay Community Centre
3/F, 7 Fook Yum Road, Causeway Bay

Southern:
Lei Tung Community Hall
Lei Tung Estate, Ap Lei Chau

Wan Chai:
Wan Chai Activities Centre
LG/F, Wan Chai Market, 258 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai

Kowloon:
——————

Kowloon City:
Hung Hom Community Hall
1/F, Kowloon City Government Offices,
42 Bailey Street, Hung Hom

Kwun Tong:
Lam Tin (West) Estate Community Centre
71 Kai Tin Road, Lam Tin

Sham Shui Po:
Nam Cheong District Community Centre
1 Cheong San Lane, Sham Shui Po

Wong Tai Sin:
Tsz Wan Shan (South) Estate Community Centre
45 Wan Wah Street, Tsz Wan Shan

Yau Tsim Mong:
Henry G Leong Yaumatei Community Centre
60 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei

New Territories:
—————-

Islands:
Tung Chung Community Hall 
G/F, Tung Chung Municipal Services Building, 39 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung

Kwai Tsing:
Tai Wo Hau Estate Community Centre
15 Tai Wo Hau Road, Kwai Chung

North:
Cheung Wah Community Hall
Cheung Wah Estate, Fanling

Sai Kung:
Hang Hau Community Hall
G/F, Sai Kung Tseung Kwan O Government Complex,
38 Pui Shing Road, Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O

Sha Tin:
Lung Hang Estate Community Centre
Lung Hang Estate, Sha Tin

Tai Po:
Tai Po Community Centre
2 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po
 
Tsuen Wan:
Lei Muk Shue Community Hall
G/F, Hong Shue House, Lei Muk Shue Estate, Tsuen Wan

Tuen Mun:
Butterfly Bay Community Centre
Butterfly Estate (near Tip Sum House), Tuen Mun

Yuen Long:
Long Ping Community Hall
Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long   read more

     The opening ceremony of the overhauled Lai Wan Market under the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) was held today (March 1), which marks the official reopening of the market.      … read more

     A Vietnamese illegal worker, holding a recognisance form, was jailed by the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts yesterday (February 29).

     During an anti-illegal worker operation conducted on November 29 in 2023, the Immigration Department (ImmD) investigators raided a restaurant in Tai Po. A Vietnamese male, aged 45, was arrested while working as an odd-job worker. Upon identity checking, he produced for inspection a recognisance form issued by the ImmD, which prohibits him from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that he was a non-refoulement claimant.

     The illegal worker was charged at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts yesterday with taking employment while being a person in respect of whom a removal order or deportation order was in force. After trial, he was sentenced to 22 months and two weeks’ imprisonment.

     The ImmD spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment.

     The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.

     According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law and employ illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.

     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation, with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately. read more

     The Department of Justice (DoJ) today (March 1) announced the establishment of the Advisory Group of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Lawyers, chaired by the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, and held an exchange session on legal practice in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). 

     Mr Cheung thanked the members of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Task Force of the DoJ (GBA Task Force), members of the Advisory Group, representatives of the Law Society of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Bar Association, the Global Chinese-speaking Lawyers’ Association and the International Probono Legal Services Association, and other stakeholders for their participation in the exchange session.

     At the session, members of the Advisory Group actively shared their practical experience and views on business development in the GBA, and joined other participants in expressing views on the direction and content of the DoJ’s work plan on promoting the development of the rule of law in the GBA.

     Mr Cheung said: “Our country has always been supporting Hong Kong’s integration into the national development. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It is especially meaningful to establish the Advisory Group and hold the exchange session at this time, through which the Hong Kong legal sector can consolidate experiences and plan for future work with the DoJ.

     “The Advisory Group will advise on the further development of legal business and enhancement of collaboration in legal services in the GBA. Being set up under the GBA Task Force, the Advisory Group consists of 12 members, including GBA lawyers who have obtained the Lawyer’s License (GBA) and have been practicing in different areas of the GBA such as Shenzhen, Nansha and Hengqin; Hong Kong and Mainland lawyers with extensive experience in handling GBA or foreign-related matters; seasoned solicitors and barristers with over 10 years’ professional experience; as well as the relatively less experienced solicitors and barristers. The composition of the Advisory Group is broadly representative and will be of great help to the DoJ in promoting the development of the rule of law in the GBA.”

     Mr Cheung mentioned that GBA lawyers are talents with capabilities and competitive strengths. The three jurisdictions in the GBA each have their own characteristics and complementary advantages. With more exchanges, cross-fertilisation and integration of rules within the region, there will be more room to give full play to the unique strengths of GBA lawyers.

     He said that with the strong support from the Central Government, the duration of the pilot scheme of the GBA Legal Professional Examination (GBA Examination) has been approved to be extended to 2026, and the practice experience threshold for enrolment in the GBA Examination has been lowered from five years to three years. He hoped that the Advisory Group can foster professional exchanges and sharing of practical experience among GBA lawyers, thereby building up the “brand name” of GBA lawyers.

     Mr Cheung emphasised that the DoJ attaches great importance to contributing to the development of the rule of law in the GBA. In his introduction of the DoJ’s work in three major areas, namely facilitating the interface of the legal systems and rules, as well as the connection of talents, he mentioned that the characteristics of the GBA, namely “one country, two systems and three jurisdictions”, present both advantages and challenges. There is a need to establish in the GBA mechanisms to efficiently and conveniently co-ordinate and bridge the different legal systems and rules, and to promote the interflow and nurturing of talents, so as to provide a stable, fair, transparent and predictable rule of law environment for the development of the GBA, unleashing its tremendous development momentum.

     He said that as Hong Kong is the only common law jurisdiction within the country, the Hong Kong legal sector has great potential in the GBA. He encouraged the legal sector to join hands with the DoJ in contributing to the development of the GBA.

    

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released the latest figures on retail sales today (March 1).
 
     The value of total retail sales in January 2024, provisionally estimated at $36.5 billion, increased by 0.9% compared with the same month in 2023. The revised estimate of the value of total retail sales in December 2023 increased by 7.8% compared with a year earlier.
 
     Of the total retail sales value in January 2024, online sales accounted for 6.5%. The value of online retail sales in that month, provisionally estimated at $2.4 billion, decreased by 20.9% compared with the same month in 2023. The revised estimate of online retail sales in December 2023 decreased by 29.5% compared with a year earlier.
 
     After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional estimate of the volume of total retail sales in January 2024 decreased by 1.2% compared with a year earlier. The revised estimate of the volume of total retail sales in December 2023 increased by 4.8% compared with a year earlier.
 
     In interpreting the figures for January, it should be noted that retail sales tend to show greater volatility in the first two months of a year due to the timing of the Lunar New Year. Local consumer spending normally attains a seasonal high before the Festival. As the Lunar New Year fell on February 10 this year but on January 22 last year, the year-on-year comparison of the figures for January 2024 with those for January 2023 might have been affected by this factor to a certain extent.
 
     Analysed by broad type of retail outlet in descending order of the provisional estimate of the value of sales and comparing January 2024 with January 2023, and also bearing in mind the effect due to the difference in the timing of the Lunar New Year as mentioned above, the value of sales of jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts increased by 25.2%. This was followed by sales of other consumer goods not elsewhere classified (+7.4% in value); wearing apparel (+5.2%); medicines and cosmetics (+25.2%); motor vehicles and parts (+23.7%); furniture and fixtures (+20.5%); books, newspapers, stationery and gifts (+27.8%); and optical shops (+0.7%).
 
     On the other hand, the value of sales of commodities in supermarkets decreased by 9.3% in January 2024 over a year earlier. This was followed by sales of food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco (-8.0% in value); electrical goods and other consumer durable goods not elsewhere classified (-26.2%); commodities in department stores (-9.2%); fuels (-14.5%); footwear, allied products and other clothing accessories (-8.2%); and Chinese drugs and herbs (-20.1%).
 
     Based on the seasonally adjusted series, the provisional estimate of the value of total retail sales decreased by 3.2% in the three months ending January 2024 compared with the preceding three-month period, while the provisional estimate of the volume of total retail sales decreased by 3.0%.
 
Commentary
 
     A government spokesman said that the value of total retail sales continued to increase in January over a year earlier, but at a moderated pace due in part to the different timing of the Lunar New Year. It would thus be more meaningful to examine the figures for January and February combined, when available, to assess the latest retail sales performance alongside other relevant factors.
 
     Looking ahead, the spokesman added that continued increase in visitor arrivals alongside further recovery of handling capacity and organisation of mega events would bode well for retail businesses. Rising household income and the Government’s initiatives in boosting consumption sentiment should also provide support. The Government will continue to monitor the situation.
 
Further information
 
     Table 1 presents the revised figures on value index and value of retail sales for all retail outlets and by broad type of retail outlet for December 2023 as well as the provisional figures for January 2024.
 
     Table 2 presents the revised figures on value of online retail sales for December 2023 as well as the provisional figures for January 2024.
 
     Table 3 presents the revised figures on volume index of retail sales for all retail outlets and by broad type of retail outlet for December 2023 as well as the provisional figures for January 2024.
 
     Table 4 shows the movements of the value and volume of total retail sales in terms of the year-on-year rate of change for a month compared with the same month in the preceding year based on the original series, and in terms of the rate of change for a three-month period compared with the preceding three-month period based on the seasonally adjusted series.
 
     The classification of retail establishments follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification (HSIC) Version 2.0, which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into different industry classes.
 
     These retail sales statistics measure the sales receipts in respect of goods sold by local retail establishments and are primarily intended for gauging the short-term business performance of the local retail sector. Data on retail sales are collected from local retail establishments through the Monthly Survey of Retail Sales (MRS). Local retail establishments with and without physical shops are covered in MRS and their sales, both through conventional shops and online channels, are included in the retail sales statistics.
 
     The retail sales statistics cover consumer spending on goods but not on services (such as those on housing, catering, medical care and health services, transport and communication, financial services, education and entertainment) which account for over 50% of the overall consumer spending. Moreover, they include spending on goods in Hong Kong by visitors but exclude spending outside Hong Kong by Hong Kong residents. Hence they should not be regarded as indicators for measuring overall consumer spending.
 
     Users interested in the trend of overall consumer spending should refer to the data series of private consumption expenditure (PCE), which is a major component of the Gross Domestic Product published at quarterly intervals. Compiled from a wide range of data sources, PCE covers consumer spending on both goods (including goods purchased from all channels) and services by Hong Kong residents whether locally or abroad. Please refer to the C&SD publication “Gross Domestic Product (Quarterly)” for more details.
 
     More detailed statistics are given in the “Report on Monthly Survey of Retail Sales”. Users can browse and download this publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1080003&scode=530).
 
     Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact the Distribution Services Statistics Section of C&SD (Tel. : 3903 7400; E-mail : mrs@censtatd.gov.hk). read more